Visiting Asheville, North Carolina: What Stayed With Me
If you’re looking for a list of the top things to do in Asheville… just kidding. That’s boring.
There are already plenty of blog posts that will tell you to visit the Biltmore Estate, drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, wander through the River Arts District, and make reservations at the best restaurants. We did a lot of those things too, and I’ll absolutely share our favorite places to eat, shop, and stay because they were wonderful. But that’s not really what this post is about.
This is about the Asheville I experienced.
Before we left, I joked on my Instagram that this was probably the least planned trip my husband had ever taken. If you know him, that’s saying something. Usually there’s at least one restaurant reservation on the books, a few solid options researched ahead of time, and a loose plan for how we’ll spend our days. This time, we still did our homework. Google Maps was full of saved restaurants, OpenTable was getting checked more often than I’d like to admit, and we had plenty of ideas. We just didn’t have much committed ahead of time.
I was perfectly happy with that.
He’s the planner.
I’m much more of a “let’s see where the day takes us” kind of traveler.
As it turned out, that combination worked really well.
The Asheville I Expected Wasn’t the Asheville I Loved Most
Have you ever gone on a trip expecting one place to become the highlight, only to come home thinking about something completely different?
That’s exactly what happened to me in Asheville.
Like most first-time visitors, the Biltmore Estate was at the top of my list. We booked a beautiful hotel downtown, and researched way too many restaurants to make sure we ate well while still leaving room to wander. I expected to come home telling everyone about America’s largest private home.
Instead, I came home thinking about homeowner gardens.
About a cellist playing on a downtown sidewalk.
About a gallery owner who handed us an umbrella when it started pouring.
About a forgotten bottle of perfume, a Mother Mary dress, and a little neighborhood walk through Montford that somehow became one of my favorite memories of the entire trip.
The Biltmore was beautiful, and I’ll share my thoughts on that because they surprised even me. But somewhere between wandering downtown, discovering incredible restaurants, and slowing down enough to notice the little things, Asheville quietly became one of those places that stays with you long after you’ve unpacked your suitcase.
If you’re planning a trip to Asheville, here’s what I loved, what surprised me, where we ate, where we stayed, and why the moments I remember most weren’t the ones I expected.
Where We Stayed in Asheville: Hotel Indigo Downtown
One thing my husband absolutely nailed was our hotel.
We stayed at Hotel Indigo in downtown Asheville and requested a high floor with mountain views. When we checked in, they somehow upgraded us to a corner penthouse, and I don’t think we could have gotten luckier. The room wrapped around the corner of the building with windows in multiple directions, giving us beautiful views of both downtown Asheville and the surrounding mountains.
The timing couldn’t have been better.
While we were there, the Capricorn Full Moon rose directly into view from our room. It almost felt staged. I had picked up a moonstone necklace earlier that day, completely unintentionally, and suddenly there we were watching the moon rise from our window.
Yes, I absolutely lined our water bottles up on the windowsill to charge them in the moonlight.
The location ended up being one of the best parts of staying there. We walked almost everywhere. Coming from South Florida, where everything seems to require getting back in the car, it was such a refreshing change. There were hills everywhere, which my Florida legs definitely noticed, but I loved being able to spend hours simply wandering without worrying about parking or traffic.
And honestly, I think that’s the best way to experience Asheville.
Is the Biltmore Estate Worth Visiting? My Honest Thoughts
I went into the trip fully expecting the Biltmore Estate to be the highlight of our weekend. It’s the reason so many people visit Asheville, and I was genuinely excited to see it. The house is impressive, the gardens are beautiful, and I completely understand why it’s considered one of the country’s great historic estates. At the same time, almost from the moment I walked through the front doors, something just didn’t sit right with me, and I spent the rest of the visit trying to figure out why.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t appreciate what I was looking at. I absolutely could. The craftsmanship is incredible, the architecture is remarkable, and there is no denying the amount of talent that went into creating something on that scale. But instead of walking through the house thinking, wow, I found myself asking a completely different question: at what cost? Not what it cost in today’s dollars, but what it cost in terms of people. How many lives were spent building and maintaining something like this? Who benefited? Who didn’t? Whose stories are missing from the version of history we read on the plaques? I wasn’t looking for those questions when I bought my ticket. They just kept showing up anyway.
The more rooms we walked through, the less interested I became in seeing another room. I realize that’s probably not the reaction most people have, and maybe that’s why it surprised me so much. Somewhere along the way, the scale of it stopped feeling impressive to me and started feeling excessive. I don’t mean that as a criticism of the craftsmanship because those are two different things. I can admire the artisans, the gardeners, the architects, and everyone who poured their skill into creating something beautiful while still feeling uncomfortable with the amount of wealth it represented. Those two thoughts can exist at the same time, and for me they did.
After we finished inside, I enjoyed the gardens much more than the house itself. They’re absolutely stunning, and if I ever went back, I’d probably spend most of my time there. But even walking through the gardens, I noticed something that struck me as odd. There were flowers everywhere and bees everywhere, yet I never saw a single butterfly. Maybe there was a perfectly reasonable explanation. Maybe it was the time of year. Maybe I simply wasn’t looking in the right places. I honestly don’t know. I only know that we saw butterflies throughout Asheville for the rest of the weekend, especially in neighborhood gardens, and I couldn’t help wondering why I hadn’t seen one there.
When we got home, I started reading a little more about the history of the estate, including the communities that were displaced as land was assembled, and if anything it left me with even more questions. History has always fascinated me, but it’s also frustrated me because so much of it is told by the people who had the power to preserve their version of events. That doesn’t automatically make it wrong, but it does make me wonder what we’ll never fully know. I don’t have some grand conclusion after visiting the Biltmore, and honestly, I don’t think I need one. I left appreciating its beauty while also feeling deeply unsettled by what it represented, and I suspect that tension is something I’ll keep thinking about for a long time.
Exploring Asheville’s Montford Historic District
One of my favorite mornings of the trip started at All Day Darling, and somehow it ended up becoming one of my favorite memories of the entire weekend.
I ordered a fried egg and avocado sandwich on a roll along with one of the warm coffee drinks on the menu that had turmeric and spices. I wish I could remember exactly what was in it because it was so good. Carson ordered a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit, which looked equally delicious, and after breakfast we decided to simply keep walking instead of heading back downtown.
That ended up being one of the best decisions we made all weekend.
We wandered through the Montford Historic District with absolutely nowhere we needed to be. We found a Little Free Library tucked into the neighborhood (pictured further down this post), made our way through Montford Park, and just kept walking because it was so lovely out!
What surprised me most was how much I loved the gardens.
After spending the previous day walking through the Biltmore gardens, I found myself just as captivated by the gardens people had created around their own homes. They weren’t perfectly manicured, and that’s probably why I loved them. Some spilled over onto the sidewalks. Some looked like they’d been added to little by little over the years instead of being professionally designed all at once. They felt personal. Like someone had planted something simply because it made them happy.
I realized I was stopping just as often to admire those little front yards as I had at the Biltmore.
Maybe even more.
There was something about them that felt so much more approachable. Instead of walking through a historic estate, I felt like I was walking through a neighborhood where creativity quietly lived in people’s front yards.
Coming from South Florida, where we’re constantly getting back into the car to go somewhere, spending hours exploring on foot felt like such a gift. The hills definitely reminded us we weren’t home anymore, but I loved every minute of it.
Downtown Asheville Is Best Experienced Without a Strict Itinerary
Downtown Asheville feels like a city that rewards curiosity more than an itinerary.
You turn down one street because you spot an interesting storefront, then wander into an art gallery, then a crystal shop, then a vintage store, then another little boutique you hadn’t planned on visiting. There were so many interesting little shops that I honestly couldn’t tell you all of their names because we were constantly wandering in and out of places that caught our attention.
One afternoon we walked into an art gallery, and by the time we came back outside it was absolutely pouring. Without hesitation, someone working there offered us an umbrella and simply asked us to bring it back when we were finished.
It was such a simple act of kindness, but it’s one of those moments that has stayed with me.
The people we met throughout Asheville were genuinely warm. Shop owners were happy to chat, restaurant staff were wonderful, and there was just an ease to so many of our interactions that made the city feel incredibly welcoming.
Asheville certainly isn’t perfect. There was a noticeable homeless population downtown, and by evening we found ourselves less eagerly wandering than we had been during the day. It’s also an incredibly eclectic city. Artists, musicians, crystal shops, vintage stores, Pride flags, street performers, tourists, locals… there was always something interesting happening around the next corner.
And maybe that’s exactly why I enjoyed it so much.
It just felt like a city comfortable being exactly what it is.
Visiting the Asheville Art Museum and The Art of Paper Exhibit
I also made it to the Asheville Art Museum, where I saw The Art of Paper exhibit. As an artist, I always love seeing how other people work with materials, and this felt like such a fitting stop in a city that already felt so layered with creativity.
Like most museum visits, I walked away with mixed feelings.
Some pieces completely stopped me in my tracks.
Others had me quietly thinking, Really? This made it into a museum?
And I don’t mean that in a negative way.
If anything, I think every museum or gallery visit gives me permission as an artist.
It reminds me that art doesn’t have to fit into one definition or one style to matter. Some work leaves you standing there for ten minutes trying to understand how someone even thought of it. Other work makes you realize that maybe we’ve all been overcomplicating things.
I always leave galleries wanting to create.
Every visit reminds me that there is room for so many different voices, materials, and ways of seeing the world.
Where We Ate in Asheville (And What I’d Order Again)
One thing we (mainly hubby) almost always do before traveling is spend way too much time researching restaurants. We don’t want to waste meals on vacation, so before we ever left Florida, Google Maps and OpenTable had already gotten quite a workout.
Asheville absolutely delivered.
One of our favorite dinners was at Luminosa. We weren’t able to get a last minute reservation, but we managed to grab two seats at the bar, which honestly ended up being perfect. Fun fact: my husband and I almost always split dishes when we travel because we’d rather try more things than commit to one entrée each, and this meal was a perfect example of why.
The lemon ricotta pizza with purple basil was probably my favorite thing we ordered the entire night. It was bright, fresh, and unlike any pizza I’d had before. We also shared one of the entrées and a side—I honestly can’t remember exactly what they were without looking back at the menu—but I remember leaving completely satisfied and immediately understanding why people recommend it.
Another standout was The Market Place, and I think this may have been my favorite meal of the entire trip.
Again, we split our main course and ordered several things to share. The bavette steak was excellent, but the surprise favorite was an appetizer with peaches wrapped in bacon. It ended up being one of those dishes you keep talking about days later. We also tried the shishito peppers, which were good, although not my favorite version I’ve had.
Asheville has a food scene that completely lived up to the hype. We didn’t have a bad meal the entire weekend, and even now there are a few restaurants I wish we’d had time to squeeze in before heading home.
Lunch at The Omni Grove Park Inn & Spa
Even if you aren’t staying there, it’s worth visiting.
The building itself is stunning, and before we even sat down to eat we spent some time wandering through the historic lobby, taking in the massive stone fireplaces, the details, and of course the mountain views. You can absolutely feel the history the moment you walk through the front doors.
We had lunch there before heading back into town, and while the food was great, I think what stayed with me most was the atmosphere. No one seemed to be in a rush. Everyone was lingering a little longer over lunch, sitting outside with the view, or simply enjoying the space.
If I ever make it back to Asheville, I think I’d love to experience the spa. It’s one of the most well-known destination spas in the country, and after walking through the property I completely understood why it’s on so many people’s bucket lists.
Shopping in Downtown Asheville Was Half the Fun
One thing I loved about downtown Asheville was that I never really felt like I needed a plan.
We’d turn down a street because something caught our eye, wander into a little boutique, then an art gallery, then a vintage shop, then another store that wasn’t even on our radar five minutes earlier. There were so many interesting little businesses packed into downtown that I honestly couldn’t tell you every place we stopped because half the fun was simply discovering them as we went.
One of my favorite shops was The Cottage Shop.
I did a little damage there, although not nearly as much as I could have because their prices were actually really reasonable. It felt like one of those stores where every time you turned around there was something else you wanted to pick up.
The item that kept pulling me back, though, was a Mother Mary t-shirt dress. They didn’t have my size, and I went back and forth with myself about whether I should just order it online later. In the end, I decided I’d rather support the little shop that introduced me to it than save a few dollars ordering it somewhere else, even if it was a little oversized so I went back and bought it anyway.
The funny part is that I became so focused on getting the dress that I completely forgot about the perfume I’d been thinking about the entire trip.
The fragrance was by Lulu & Oliver, and I had seen it in several different shops throughout Asheville. Every time I picked it up I told myself, “I’ll come back for it.”
Reader…
I did not come back for it.
As I’m writing this, there’s a very good chance that perfume is about to end up in my online cart because I have thought about it way too many times since we got home.
Walking through Posies for Lulu Vintage was another experience all by itself. Even if you aren’t looking to buy anything, it’s one of those places that’s simply fun to explore. Asheville has so many shops like that. You wander in because you’re curious and before you know it you’ve spent twenty minutes looking around.
I also left behind a sweatshirt that said, “Relax. Nothing is under control.”
If you’ve met me, you probably understand why I’m still thinking about it.
Apparently Asheville is now home to two of my biggest shopping regrets.
The funny thing is, I don’t think either one of them is actually about the stuff.
They’re reminders of the trip.
Every time I look at that Mother Mary dress, or eventually cave and order that vanilla perfume, I’ll probably think about wandering downtown Asheville with nowhere we really needed to be, discovering little shops one at a time, and realizing that some of the best parts of traveling can’t really be planned.
Looking back, I think that’s what Asheville did so well.
It invited us to slow down.
Not because there weren’t things to see, but because there was always something interesting waiting just around the next corner if we were willing to keep walking.
Why Asheville Stayed With Me
One of the things I love about traveling is that you never really know which moments are going to follow you home.
Before this trip, I probably would have guessed the Biltmore would be the thing I came back talking about most. Instead, it was the full moon rising over the mountains from our hotel room, the moonstone necklace I had been drawn to earlier that day, and the fact that our water bottles spent the night lined up in the window soaking up moonlight because of course they did.
It was the man playing cello downtown who made me unexpectedly emotional because it reminded me of my daughter and her violin.
It was the gallery owner who offered us an umbrella when the rain started pouring, like lending one to strangers was the most normal thing in the world.
It was Montford, with its Little Free Library, its leafy streets, and its gardens that felt personal and a little wild in the best way. After walking through the Biltmore gardens, I was surprised by how much those homeowner gardens moved me. They weren’t grand or famous or perfectly maintained for visitors, but they felt alive in a way I really connected with.
I think that’s what Asheville did so well. It gave us the big, obvious things to see, but the smaller moments ended up meaning more. The lemon ricotta pizza with purple basil at Luminosa. The peaches wrapped in prosciutto at The Market Place. The Mother Mary dress from The Cottage Shop. The vanilla perfume I forgot to buy. The sweatshirt that said, “Relax. Nothing is under control,” which may have been the unofficial theme of the whole trip.
We planned enough to eat really well, but not so much that the weekend felt locked into place. For a trip with almost no reservations, especially by my husband’s standards, it worked beautifully. Asheville rewarded the wandering.
And maybe that’s why the Biltmore left me feeling so conflicted. It wasn’t that I couldn’t appreciate it. I could. But I realized that the places I connected with most weren’t the grandest or most famous. They were the places that felt lived in, a little imperfect, creative, generous, and human.
Asheville isn’t perfect. No place is. But somewhere between the mountains, the food, the music, the shops, the gardens, the moon, and the kindness of strangers, it gave me the kind of trip I couldn’t have planned if I tried.
Would I Visit Asheville Again?
Absolutely.
There are still restaurants I’d love to try, trails we didn’t have time to hike, and entire areas of the city we barely scratched the surface of. We intentionally skipped a lot because we wanted to leave room for the unexpected, and I think Asheville rewards that kind of travel.
If I went back, I’d stay downtown again. Being able to walk almost everywhere completely changed the experience for us. I’d spend another morning wandering through Montford, probably browse the same little shops all over again, and yes, I’d finally buy the vanilla perfume instead of convincing myself I’d come back for it later.
I’d also spend more time outside the city exploring the surrounding mountains and hiking. Three days gave us a wonderful introduction to Asheville, but it also left me feeling like we’d only experienced one small piece of it.
Tips for Visiting Asheville, North Carolina
If you’re planning your first trip to Asheville, here are a few things I’d do again.
Stay somewhere within walking distance of downtown if you can. We loved being able to simply explore on foot, and grabbed an Uber/Lyft here and there.
Leave room in your schedule. Research restaurants, make a reservation if there’s somewhere you absolutely don’t want to miss, but don’t plan every hour of your trip. Some of my favorite memories came from wandering into places we hadn’t planned to visit.
Walk through the Montford Historic District. It ended up being one of my favorite parts of Asheville, and I’d happily do that walk again.
Visit the Biltmore Estate, but don’t feel like it has to define your trip. It’s worth experiencing, even if you leave with a different perspective than you expected.
Support local businesses whenever you can. Some of my favorite purchases weren’t things I’d gone looking for. They were things I discovered while wandering through downtown, talking with shop owners, and taking my time.
And finally, wear comfortable shoes.
Those little hills are no joke if you’re coming from the flat lands of South Florida.